Kayani-Karzai talks a good thing: Holbrooke

WASHINGTON - The US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan offered encouragement Sunday for negotiations Afghan President Hamid Karzai has held with Pakistani military officials and Taliban leaders. Karzais meeting with Pakistans top national security officials - Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani and ISI head Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha - is a good thing, not a bad thing, Richard Holbrooke said on CNNs Fareed Zakaria GPS. The US supports overtures to the Taliban by Karzai, he said. Among the Taliban leadership, there are some people who are reconcilable and some are not. We support a policy in which the Afghan government of President Karzai takes the lead. But experts believe that chances for any reconciliation between Karzai and the Taliban were blocked when the United States this week designated the Haqqani network as a terrorist group and followed up by moving the United Nations Security Council to place the networks leaders on its blacklist. Not only that, the United States firmly told Pakistan to implement the international sanctions against the Haqqani Network. Speaking to the programmes anchor Fareed Zakaria, a US journalist of Indian origin who usually toes New Delhis line, Holbrooke, said, You cannot just go after the Pakistanis to do this and do that in the tribal areas. You have to have an entire approach to the country. This has been lacking for over a decade, he said, adding the United States is now approaching the country differently. And we are beginning to see real signs of movement. Nonetheless, we still have problems. Meetings between Karzai and the Pakistani security officials have prompted concern in neighbouring countries, particularly India, The Washington Post reported today, citing diplomatic and government officials. Neighbouring governments fear the meetings may move Karzai closer to a wish to negotiate with Taliban leaders and bring some of them into his government, the Post reported. India, Iran and Afghanistans northern neighbours have expressed concern that a settlement with elements of the Taliban would strengthen the influence of the Afghanistans Pashtun population, which is the countrys largest ethnic group and is closely tied to Pakistan, the Post claimed. Such ties may come at the cost of Afghanistans Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara ethnic minorities, which are linked to other neighbouring countries, the newspaper said. The US seeks to reduce the gap between Pakistan and Afghanistan while taking into account the strategic interests of India and other regional neighbours, Holbrooke said. General Stanley McChrystal, then the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, was present at the meeting between Karzai and Kayani, Holbrooke said. The new commander, General David Petraeus, will continue to play the same role, if not more so, he said. The US government has had no direct contact with Taliban leaders while the Karzai government explores a reconciliation. They have to reach political arrangements, Holbrooke said. That is up to them. Agencies add: The United States on Sunday renewed its support for Pakistan-Afghanistan dialogue towards better ties and common peace and stability objectives, with a top American diplomat saying that the American policy in this respect, which also takes into account regional considerations, is moving forward. Elaborating the Obama Administrations policy, which, Holbrooke said, is the only one that meets Washingtons interests the special envoy said, We have a policy here which is try to reduce the gap between Islamabad and Kabul - a historic gap which goes back to the independence of Pakistan 63 years ago - and to make them work together for a common objective while taking into account the strategic interests of India and other regional neighbours. And that is moving forward. Its a tough, difficult policy. But it is the only one that meets our regional and international and national security interests.